


Whispering Winds

by Alaxelos



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dark, Arranged Marriage, Curses, Dark Kuroko Tetsuya, Dark Magic, Demons, Emperor Akashi Seijuurou, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Fate & Destiny, Flashbacks, Fluff and Smut, Forgetting, M/M, Pain, Possessive Akashi Seijuurou, Possible Character Death, Presence, Sorrow, Winter, kuroko suffers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-02 02:11:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11499570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alaxelos/pseuds/Alaxelos
Summary: At a young age, Kuroko Tetsuya was cursed by the demon of the half-dead labyrinth and found himself without any presence.Years later, he wishes it back and tries to make contact with the demon once more - but he finds that, to get back the lost part of himself, he has to sacrifice a great deal more...





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> Another random story idea I came up with. I plan on making these chapters slightly longer after the first one and because of the way I've decided to write it, I'll probably take longer updating. So probably once or twice a month - most likely over 5000 words post the first chapter.
> 
> If I set any dates for updating schedules, I'll be sure to let you know.
> 
> enjoy~

A ruthless gale got close to sweeping the young boy off his feet. In response, he cried out and clutched onto a thick oak branch, looking around helplessly, his voice dying before it reached the clammy air. Over him, the sky was a deep sulking grey and thunder rumbled in the far distance. It was late autumn and the first snowfall was sure to arrive soon. Although rain was to come first, many days had already passed and deemed that the wetter season was coming to a cold close - soon to be replaced by the icy winter’s blanket.

The boy was lost. Lost in the deep and obscure woods - stuck in a maze among the shadow of the great mountain. Beyond that mountain lay his home, but he was far from it. Somewhere along his journey, he’d fallen off the carriage he’d been traveling in with his parents. He was alone - not even animals resided in those woods. They were morbid, the trees were dense and the air thick. A truly horrifying place for a young and unknowing boy to be. The half-dead labyrinth.

But something about those precise winds, blowing in and out of the trees made the hair on the back of the boy’s neck stand on end and he looked around with wide cerulean eyes, filled with worry. His lips were quivering as he clutched at the single coat he wore. He hoped it to be a bad dream - he hoped for it to end. He understood not why he was to have been left on his own in a desolate place like those woods. He yearned for the presence of others – to no longer feel as if the very air was choking him, gripping him by the neck and forcing reality in his face.

So cold and so alone he felt - abandoned and forgotten. Aimlessly wandering in the hope of finding some comfort in the next clearing on. But then! Suddenly. All noises halted as if the air was holding its breath.

Silently, something stirred. A dim figure emerged from within the depth of the network of trees, sweeping down from the distance and gliding silently and gracefully. It drifted across the forest floor and over to the boy. The poor forsaken boy who was so lonely. He could do nothing but watch as it looked down upon him with bright, crimson eyes, hidden in among the threads of shadows, clinging so desperately to it. Down to his soul did he shake with fear as he watched the demon as it enveloped him in his darkness, terror sewing him to the spot. In all his short life, the boy had never seen something so benevolently eerie – the combination of his anxiety and curiosity driving his mind insane as the earth underneath him seemed to bubble. Vexed he felt not, for there was no room for it. While those tranquilly fiery judgements stared so vigilantly, all sensation the boy experienced was dread.

“My poor child… What does a youth pure as yourself seek in these woods?” Those silky words glided from the figure’s tongue in a mellow tenor, filling the air with an almost strange warmth - so very different from the forest it placed itself in. Those hollow crimson eyes grew larger as the figure knelt, shadows embracing it while he stared into the young boy’s deep pools. No distraction could break their intense gaze at one another. As if the world no longer mattered or even existed. No. It was just him. The demon and the boy. The boy and the demon – the demon of the woods.

“Lies your home beyond these frightful territories?” Questioned the being while he examined the boy, so very little and insignificant before him. So very fragile and so very pale. Meek and beautifully fresh…

The boy did not speak before the superior being in fear of angering it by doing so – it wasn’t his common sense to instruct him so but his instincts. Yes, common sense was the last of the poor boy’s worries. Instinct was what was driving him – instinct was what kept him rooted to the spot. Instinct screamed inside of him, telling him that a wrong move meant assured death.

“Fear not my child, for I bear neither ill judgements nor cruel exploits. In simple terms, I wish to direct you to safety – for as your instincts rightly provoke, my being is not of a friendly nature and any mortal unfortunate of meeting me, is assured to have no ordinary life onwards… But what is this?” The contact between eyes red and eyes cerulean shattered as both instead, looked up at the grimacing sky, as the first worldly tears dropped – shimmering in the light of the hammering lightning which naturally foretold the oncoming roar of thunder.

“It seems fate has been unkind to you my child. Alas, despite my supposed conduct, I would feel but gravely guilty for abandoning you here. Therefore, we will stroll my child, onwards and headed for your home. I will see to it myself.” The darkness split apart to show a shimmering white hand which lurched forwards and then gently rested upon the small boy’s head. Shuddering, he continued to stare up into those deep crimson pits with a frightful feeling.

Yes, the being he had come across was the very reason he was afraid of the forest to begin with – why all animals were afraid of it as well. The keeper of the darkness and god of the mother tree. That tree kept all the other trees living in the half-dead labyrinth – feeding them with her darkness while the keeper watched over her. None of the home told myths compared to what the boy was seeing before him. For upon second glance, the darkness cowered, clinging only around the slim figure of a man with skin of a ghostly form and red tresses of beautiful hair that, despite there being no wind, swayed gently in the quiet air.

Everything was so perfect – not too sunken, not too gaunt, but not too filled and over exaggerated. A beautiful and proportionate face he had, one the boy could only dream of having himself. Meanwhile, the boy pondered over the strange appearance of the god of darkness and, trying to gather what little courage he had, he addressed the demon who had retrieved his hand and stepped away.

“My lord. Please, I beg to ask you about yourself.” And the boy felt so overwhelmed by the other’s powerful presence, that he went into momentary shock when the being flashed him a wry smile, eyes kindly examining the younger.

“It deems only natural for you to experience curiosity – however, time is not in our favour and we must make haste; for when the rain comes, I fear I may not be control my own actions young one. Now come.” The legs of the boy carried him involuntarily across the ground and towards the demon who wrapped him in his darkness which, to the boy, felt almost homely…

In utter silence they paced through the forest, having to seemingly never wander of course to avoid the forces of nature – and the boy had a strange suspicion that the demon high above him but at his side was the cause of such an occurrence. He felt tempted to ask the superior further questions but found his voice incapable of making another sound while in the company of the other – still oppressing and heavy as ever.

The demon, the superior, the powerful other however, took every step with great caution, seemingly afraid of his own darkness as his red eyes quivered in their sockets, darting around the area, as if he knew not of his own home. Slowly, it dawned on the young boy, that not only did the demon’s darkness hold him, but an icy hand rested upon his shoulder, and looking, he watched the pale, clawed digits resting there, digging into his simple coat slightly. It was strange for the youth to be with the stranger, who seemed so much more powerful than any other entity he’d ever come across in his short life. However, something about the touch, something about meeting him in the first place, felt right to the boy. No words could describe what exactly he felt – perhaps he was simply too young.

“My child, we have neared the end of our journey… I will set you off on your own from here on out. Before we part ways though, I wish one thing of you.” The young boy shivered as out of nowhere, the fierce face was at his level, the eyes bigger than ever and drowning him in their intensity. Slowly, the boy felt his numb body tremble and his head give a meek nod.

“Share with me your name, my child.” The hand from the boy’s shoulder moved and he shuddered as it placed on his small and heated cheek instead while the demon leant in, those dominant red eyes boring into his soul. The boy felt the tears inside well up but he swallowed them down along with the upcoming lump in his throat and he bit his lip.

“Kuroko Tetsuya…” Gasped he, almost choking on the words while he stared wide-eyed at the powerful being before him who watched him so very closely.

“Tetsuya…” It sounded so beautiful as it rolled off the demon’s tongue, smoother than silk and lovelier than the lilies that grew in his hometown around spring. How could such a beautiful voice possibly belong to an evil and corrupt entity, shrouding both the boy and the entire forest in such demise, in such shadow, in such darkness. The boy knew not of the reasoning. Demons to his imagination had always been ugly and wicked creatures, but whatever it was that stood before him now, suited not a single one of his images. Although no human stood equal to his asset or beauty, the boy knew, from those glints in his eyes, that he should fear the entity which so warmly embraced him in his supremacies, encasing him and binding him in a twisted oath.

And again, he said his name.

“Tetsuya. We part ways here, but I leave you with my words and my memories.” The demon looked down at the boy almost sadly, emotion finally breaking through his hard-shielded surface like a crack in a perfect mirror.

“You my child, have met a very calamitous providence. I wish not to do it but however young the perpetrator of my realm, shall not walk away unmarked. Therefore, I leave you with this.” And with that, the demon leant in, suddenly pulling the boy in two strong arms and forcing him rigid. The boy did nothing, too shaken with surprise and fear anyway.

In that instant, the being, the entity, the demon presented him with a kiss to the forehead – soft and delicate, as if kissing a fragile baby bird, small in his hands. The boy felt an unknowing urge to lean into his touch, tempted by the allure and gentleness of the supposedly ruthless creature. While the demon’s arms were still around him and his hand still placed on the boy’s neck, they were both in trance – submitted to the demon’s will, desire or something else possibly.

 But when the demon pulled away, the boy yearned for more, feeling strangely sad and lonely again. All was gone from him, the demon slowly vanishing back into the darkness from which forth, he’d come. While the crimson eyes met cerulean one final time, the boy had the kismet of hearing that succulent voice one more time.

“It is a cruel deed of mine indeed. I have abused your little trust in me – I have lied. In the future, Kuroko Tetsuya, I have ensured we will meet again… For I have taken something, oh so very precious to you…”

Once again, the boy felt so desperate to reach out to the disappearing demon, to shout, to yell for him, to want him so bad. But he could not speak. There was no way he would be able to produce another word after being left with such a riddle.  But then, as by surprise to earlier circumstances, the boy found himself shout out once again.

“What do they call you?” His voice was lost in the void, the wind returning and sweeping the words into their dark midst. Branches swayed heatedly, attempting to knock the boy over as another breeze from inside the forest picked up and abruptly blew over the boy harshly. But among the many gusts, the boy heard the name, subtle and almost indistinct and for no reason at all, it brought the tears to his face, his head back to reality and his body back to fatigue. Underneath him, his legs collapsed and he collided with the dimming forest floor after turning to see the lights of his home town. He listened to the wind speak to him as his eyes slowly closed and he sobbed silently – sadness, loneliness, desolation and emptiness finally taking over and settling over him. He heard the word ring in his mind.

_Seijuurou._

 


	2. Waking Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter mainly consists of Tetsuya's pain. I apologise if it seems somewhat tedious, but my intention is to properly portray a feeling of suffering for Tetsuya - it's going to be important in future chapters. (Hopefully - if I can keep writing.)
> 
> Thanks for reading and enjoy~

His breathing rasped against the warm, damp inside air. With a wild tug, he sat up in his small and rather shabby bed, eyes wide and his cracked lips parted while staring into the darkness ahead of him. Kuroko Tetsuya had experienced a bad dream – one in which he had encountered and recalled the memory which haunted him so – the demon. What he remembered as a terrible encounter, an unfortunate fate. Despite recollecting the entity’s words, Kuroko could not remember his face apart from those hollow, corrupt scarlet eyes, flashing with mischief.

His heart throbbed. Wincing, the boy fleetingly closed his eyes, attempting to calm both his rapid heartbeat and breath while sliding a hand through a tear in the fabric of his grungy shirt to slide over his chest and across his throbbing scar. Oh, it hurt him so incredibly bad. Making the poor boy flinch more than hearing fingernails scrape over wood, unsteadying his breath more than when being smacked in the head by a frying pan. It burned so much more than laying in the fire itself. Tetsuya wanted to scream, his fingers clawing at the scar over his heart.

That scar was no ordinary mutilation of the skin. It was not of a fleshy colour or smooth texture. It was a deep, ugly purple bruised colour and depicted the roots of a tree, coursing over his chest and deep into his flesh, attacking his nerves, his bloodstream, sometimes pulsing and moving just under his skin so that, when he looked, the poor boy could see the roots grow, move and curl – Tetsuya felt it had to be all of that. On one or two occasions, the pain had escalated so tremendously that the boy had lifted a blunt kitchen knife and rested its tip against his pulsating veins, contemplating whether to cut out his heart, so as to simply end his suffering. The agony it caused him whenever flaring was enough to make him want to end his life – for he was sure that the only thing to relieve such torture had to be death itself… Surely.

But, even after fifteen years of misery due to that mark, Tetsuya still found himself alive – in fact, he found himself lying alive in his bed, like he did every morning. His rancid bed, in his rancid room in his rancid rotten house. And every morning, Tetsuya had to remind himself that the pain in his body could not possibly be any worse than the withering of his mind.

He found his feet on the floor of his bedroom and winced at the ferocious croak protruding from the floorboards. It couldn’t be late yet – the sun hadn’t even come out. But it was early enough for the birds to sing their atrocious melodies, the range of crows, sparrows and occasional hawk and many more unnamed species all screeching to form a symphonic cacophony, and the other side of the road to be visible through the meek window, set on the other end of the boy’s room, one of the shutter’s hinges having fallen off, leaving the panel to dangle and occasionally smack against the rotten wood of the windowsill. Most of Tetsuya’s room was in a similar state – suffering because of the bad care it got. The walls were more than filthy, they were dank and unpleasant, they reeked of smoke, alcohol, urine and sex. Yes, Tetsuya’s room wasn’t really his room. No one considered it to be his territory. The room was used for horrible occasions in the male’s eyes – but perhaps joyous occasions in other’s.

Tetsuya knew however, why his room suffered the most in the desolated house of his. Why his parents got drunk and made love in his room whenever it pleased them – sometimes while Tetsuya still resided in the same chamber – to which he left in a hurry, not wanting to see such graphic and explicit pictures, was because seemed to forget his very existence.

That was his terrible curse. Being forgotten, by his hometown and by his parents.

At times, dinner was only served for two. Such torments the boy had endured for more than fifteen years. Haunted by the fact that he was no longer human – sure, his flesh was warm and his blood flowing, and his skin flushed at times of adrenaline and his mind at times of arousal – but every bit of him was close to invisible. Kuroko Tetsuya had no presence, he was an invisible man, a forgotten being, a phantom.

Downstairs, Tetsuya heard nothing, further upstairs he heard loud snoring and he let a deep sigh escape from his lips as he stood, the filthy quilt dropping back onto the yellowing mattress and he headed as quiet as he could, down the stairs in the hope of finding some food before he left the house. Alas, as he had suspected – he’d been forgotten once more and found that there was nothing for him to take, not even after spending some time scavenging the mouldy kitchen cabinets or the disintegrating cupboards. With a tremendous sigh, the poor phantom looked down at his feet, scratched and bare. His shoes too he no longer had, they had long since been sold by his parents because yet again, they had forgotten him. He’d walked on his coarse feet for over three years now, trying desperately to keep them as well as the rest of his body from catching diseases. But there was something almost comical about the situation. The boy deemed invisible even to pathogens. For in his fifteen years after encountering the demon of the half-dead labyrinth he had not been unwell a single time and sometimes, Kuroko Tetsuya did ask himself – was he really still alive?

There were two people in his hometown that proved he was alive. Those two souls being Aomine Daiki and Momoi Satsuki. Neither of the two lived as scarcely as the Kuroko family, in fact, both could afford proper clothes and a decent bath. Aomine Daiki was the adopted child once found in the woods and taken in by the Momoi household. The two were inseparable and saw, touched and did everything together. Therefore, both were capable of seeing the young Tetsuya who, upon their first meeting had been down by the stream at the age of ten, trying to wash his grimy hands after working in the fields all day – not that anyone had noticed him.

Kuroko had heard running and laughing voices, quickly followed by the two children of the same age. The flash of pink wavy hair followed by a darker figure and then the loud splash, the wet drops of water against his face while he watched the two children had run right into the stream. Their chirpy young voices had made poor Tetsuya feel envious – he too wanted to be part of a little group like that, but fate had decided against it apparently. His heart had ached and he’d grabbed a hold of the filthy shirt he’d worn, desperately biting his lip as the stabbing pain had gotten worse. It got so bad that the boy had to bow his head and tucking it in-between his legs, tears flooding his face while he held back the screams he so badly wanted to let go.

In that same instant, the eyes of the two stranger beings had fallen upon him and widened abruptly. Of course, Daiki, being the bolder of the two, had spoken up without any hesitation, having pointed his finger straight at poor Tetsuya’s small frame and exclaiming him to be the phantom of the town that they had heard so many rumours about. Satsuki joined in on his excited rampage as the two fought their way out of the water, wanting to get a closer look at the curled-up boy who silently listened in to their conversation, too afraid to part his lips in case the terror of his pain did overcome him.

**oOo**

Kuroko Tetsuya remembered these memories because they were oh so dear to him. To finally be noticed and appreciated by these two wonderful people. Both had grown up to be great friends of Tetsuya, always involving him and having him tag along on adventures in the woods when they were kids and even to that day, they always had fun together.

That was why, while he wandered the streets, he kept a watchful eye out for those special people in his life. The only people that really cared. But upon passing the black smith’s hub and the bakery, the people of the streets started speaking in hushed voices, voices Tetsuya could easily pick up the words off.

“Yes, it’s said that it’s more active these days – rumours even say that there have been multiple disappearances. They say that if you go in, you never come out…” Tetsuya would have loved to correct the statements, for lies grew in them. It wasn’t the forest that was active for Tetsuya knew that was the subject of their matter. Nothing but the half-dead maze made people speak with such hushed voices and fearful glances. Tetsuya knew that the trees weren’t the harmful components… No, not even the mother tree which leaked darkness into the beings of her children could possibly be responsible for terrible occurrences. It had to be the demon. The demon of those frightful woods. The demon that made them the frightful woods. A being with fierce red eyes and menacing words of the name Seijuurou. Tetsuya felt himself momentarily enchanted by the mere thought of that name, the roots over his heart throbbing distantly.

He continued to pass the townspeople who as per usual, noticed not his presence, passing them by as it did every single morning. The boy was headed for a plain clearing behind the Momoi household that was private property of the very same family. There, poor Tetsuya would meet with his only friends, the people that saw him and appreciated him.

“Tetsu!” His trusted darker skinned male greeted him upon reaching the place. Behind him sat Momoi Satsuki, holding a buttercup between her fingers and gazing at it thoughtfully. Aomine Daiki waved to Tetsuya and the teenager wandered over, his expression remaining in its blank state.

“Good morning Aomine-kun, Momoi-san.” The boy bowed slightly, greeting them in a similar fashion as the day before, and the day before that. Kuroko Tetsuya was, regardless of not interacting with others much, of a very good-mannered and respectful nature. The rich residents of house Momoi were widely beloved and valued, therefore, reverence was expected.

“Morning Tetsu-kun.” Satsuki got up, leaving he picked buttercup on the soft grass while resting in her hands a small rectangular object, wrapped in fine fabric with a perfect knot on top.

“We expected you to be hungry, considering circumstances, so I brought you some food.” The girl smiled.

Momoi Satsuki was a girl of Tetsuya’s age and stood at roughly the same height, depending on the shoes she wore. On most days, her silken tresses of pink lovelier than the spring cherry blossoms, hung down, well maintained and clean looking while her rosy cheeks glowed in the daylight. Her physique was above average; with her slim and attractive legs and voluptuous body but above all her ample bosom, Satsuki was capable of charming many others – in particular the young men whose hearts yearn for a wife.

“We wanted to take you into the mountains today, we thought the weather looked good for a hike.” This time, Daiki spoke, a wide grin lighting up his wild face.

The other male was darker skinned and obviously looked like the outsider in the Momoi manor. Aomine Daiki, unlike the delicately proportioned Satsuki, was a beast. His shoulders were broad and his body muscular. His features were broad but his eyes slim and venomous on occasions. Fear was easily struck in those, who couldn’t look beyond Aomine Daiki’s frightfully aggressive expression which, as later proves, is in fact his normal facial expression.

In the years that Aomine Daiki has been living with the Momoi family, he has proven that his figure lives up to the strength he bears, capable of doing any hard-work chore with little effort.

However, Aomine Daiki was a young man that was easily bored, and over the previous months, he had become incredibly lazy, forgetting about all his strengths and resorting to lazing around Satsuki while the female tried her very best at improving her household skills for her future life after marriage. She was to be a proper maiden after all.

“Dai-chan, I was due to—“Satsuki attempted to speak but Daiki interrupted her fervently, a spark in his eyes once more while he motioned to the mountain as Tetsuya attempted not to think of what lay beyond that mountain.

“Let’s head off now, before the lady of the house starts bickering.” Hurried the taller, darker skinned male, pushing Kuroko ahead by the shoulder and grinning from ear to ear.

It wasn’t very often that one saw Aomine Daiki excited, what with him being bored out of his wits on most occasions. Tetsuya felt the contagious grin on the other male’s face spread to his own and he goofily smiled, lightly rubbing the back of his neck, wincing faintly and pulling back a muddy hand. He sighed. Tetsuya needed a proper bath once again – it would have to wait.

Satsuki and Daiki led the phantom off town grounds and took the common footpath into the mountains, cobble soon making place for a simple dirt path plain, surrounded by wilderness and trees, growing scarcer and further distanced. Both the blossom haired female and the teal haired male, struggled to keep up with their muscular companion, their legs much shorter and weaker than that of the massive bear of a man before them, eagerly pacing up the mountain while above them, the sun broke the line of clouds and smiled down upon them, burning their necks until they tingled.

It took them no less than an hour and a half to reach their agreed destination – a destination agreed between Satsuki and Daiki. By the time Tetsuya and Satsuki arrived, Daiki was already seated on the flat plain, where a small patch of grass grew, swaying in the light breeze from the west. Satsuki smiled faintly at the sight and ambled over to her friend, kneeling onto the grass and feeling it under her legs and her delicate hands. With a smile, she beckoned the stationary Tetsuya over to join them.

“Tetsu-kun.” She ushered him to eat the lunch he still carried with him. Doubtfully, Tetsuya stared at it while his legs carried him over towards the two relaxed others, chewing the inside of his cheek while maintaining his indifferent façade. The boy was unsure whether he should really take such a gift from Satsuki, despite having received much more from her. He wanted not to seem greedy, for that was not at all what he was.

Yes, he suffered – but Tetsuya had mastered his blank expression from his face to the very depth of his cerulean eyes, hidden in the shadows that had been shaped around him. He knew no better at that stage. Emotion lacked in his voice and in his posture; emotion lacked in his logical and strategic thinking and in his hidden actions – or so he presumed.

“It’s not poisoned Tetsu-kun” Reassured Satsuki and from the ground, Daiki snorted loudly, as if trying to contradict her statement with that. Tetsuya nodded indifferently and sat himself, prying the wooden box open and being presented with a heavenly bowl of food, much more eccentric than he had ever gotten from the Momoi family before that occasion.

Immediately, clocks started whirring inside of his brain and he calculated the situation:

The day was nice, almost perfect for a joyous occasion. His food, a feast from the heavens, had been presented by a much too happy Satsuki – yes, even happier than usual. Aomine Daiki was beside himself with constant grinning as well. They had led him out of town – something Daiki was too lazy to do on most occasions. Indeed, something was very odd. However, even when calculating every option, Tetsuya could not put his finger on it.

And out of nowhere it hit him, just as Satsuki leant in, murmuring to Daiki that there was something in his hair. Tetsuya caught a glint of light, reflected by a shiny object from around Satsuki’s finger. Her ring-finger. The gasp left his mouth before he could control himself. A natural response of course.

Satsuki’s head snapped back up and she tilted her head curiously at her friend before following his trail of sight and giggled thoughtlessly, her hand placing in her lap while she stared at the silvery ring herself.

“It’s exactly what you think.” She gushed, bringing both hands up to cup her own cheeks fervently. Daiki quickly caught on and rolled his eyes, grinning once more and lifting up his own hand to show a matching ring.

What Kuroko Tetsuya expected to be happiness for his friends, turned out to be horror. A horror, whirring in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps, his emotions were there after all… He stared at both rings and then up into the eyes of his best friends, who had, without explaining to him before hand, gotten engaged to one another.

“It’s sort of something my family arranged… Not that I mind.” Giggled Satsuki while she placed her hand in Daiki’s gently. The bigger male looked away and grunted faintly, but not refusing the contact between him and his fiancée.

But why was poor Tetsuya so befuddled, so upset? Why did he feel so betrayed? Inside of him, darker thoughts roamed, their claws lashing at his insides just as the roots on his heart started twisting again, digging deeper into his flesh, consuming his body, claiming him as theirs.

Satsuki Momoi and Aomine Daiki – his best friends, would surely get married, have children and forget about him, like everyone else in his life had done. He was unwanted. Tetsuya wasn’t needed. Satsuki had Daiki and Daiki had Satsuki. That was all either of them needed. He was unnecessary, he was excess, he was waste! Kuroko Tetsuya was a nuisance…

The food on his lap tasted of nothing; bland; rubbery. Tetsuya placed it on the grass and looked at his own clenched fists in contact with the grass. He wished to run, to forget everything. He wished he didn’t care – but he did…

“Tetsu?” It was Daiki to address him first, his eyebrows furrowed while inspecting the other’s expression which of course, did not shift, not even by a single millimetre. The boy was a natural. Kuroko Tetsuya was as plain, as uninteresting as a grey sky. But Aomine Daiki was well aware that a grey sky meant rain, and potentially something much more dangerous and of course, on such a joyous occasion for him, he wished not for his friend to spoil it.

“Just eat. I brought the ball.” Out of his pocket, Daiki pulled a small leather ball he had crafted himself out of scraps.

Tetsuya nodded, realising he and Daiki were on the same page. No one was to spoil Satsuki’s warm and content smile. He therefore ate – unwillingly – but he ate nonetheless, slowly and severely while his vacant eyes excavated into Daiki’s with a certain tension. He willed Daiki to realise his pain – he willed his best friend to understand…

Once finished, Tetsuya placed the empty box down and bowed politely to Satsuki, his stringy tresses covering his quivering eyes. The poor boy was uncertain when the tears would spill. There was no joy in his heart. He was alone. He would soon be even more alone. He wanted someone. He needed someone. His heart yearned for attention, for affection. His whole being, screaming and tearing at his insides, telling him – no – compelling him to get up and leave, compelling him to find that person that would listen to him, that would understand and sympathize, possibly even empathize with his suffering – someone that could love him in spite of it. Kuroko Tetsuya wanted that so much.

**oOo**

After finishing, Daiki and he did start passing the ball to one another, tossing it aimlessly to pass the time while the sun danced across the sky, bathing the air in shades of orange and pink once it neared the horizon like it did the day before. Tetsuya was the one to end their game while Satsuki got up and motioned that the time for them to return home had approached.

They had spent all day out – perhaps with minor conversations for once, but they had spent the time together and even though Tetsuya; heart ached, he was still contented with the fact that he wasn’t completely alone at that stage… He would have to use the time to accept his fate, to accept that he might be forgotten again, that he might as well just forget about everyone himself.

Life was unfair – that much he had learned…

It was time they returned and so they did, Satsuki leading the way on the occasion while Daiki stayed close to Tetsuya’s side, finally capable of confronting his close friend on what had happened.

“Tetsu…” He said quietly.

“Are you okay?”

“Me? I’m fine.”

“That’s not what I meant, are you okay with the decision we made, I want to hear the truth, your truth.”

“Really Aomine-kun, because I don’t think you’ll like it much.” Retorted young Tetsuya, his hazy eyes narrowing while he glanced at his much taller friend.

“There are a lot of things I don’t like Kuroko Tetsuya, but whatever you do will never be one of those things.” Assured he to which Tetsuya bit his lip, suddenly feeling a sensation of guilt about his own whirring emotions. He was supposed to be happy, instead he was being selfish, worrying about his own future rather than blessing his two best friends with their news.

“I—I’m upset Aomine-kun.” And even then, despite admitting his worries, despite confessing his frustrations, Kuroko Tetsuya’s face bore carried not a drop of emotion.

“I know that…”

“If you do, then you should have considered me before you got engaged.” The boy’s head turned to Daiki and he met the other’s eyes fiercely.

“This is a decision we made together. Satsuki and I that is. We both think very much of you Tetsu… But we got too caught up in the moment… In the heat of things… We were both a little out of line… But we’re happy together Tetsu… And I’m asking you to be happy for us too, do you think you can do that?” The deep marine orbs stared into Tetsuya’s with a certain passion – a passion the poor, helpless boy couldn’t resist.

In shame, he turned away and hung his head, mulling over his own hazy emotions once more. Aomine Daiki was asking him to be happy for them getting engaged, he was asking him to accept it – what if he couldn’t? he didn’t want to, but he had to. For Satsuki. For Daiki.

“Alright…” He nodded his head slowly and as an immediate response, Daiki threw his arm around the smaller male’s shoulder, letting a grin spread across his face once more while he chuckled.

“You’re a good friend Tetsu.” Mused Daiki.

Upon arriving home, Tetsuya’s heart sank, hearing the noises from upstairs; from his room, they escalated. With a sigh, the boy slumped over to their scruffy living room and attempted to make himself somewhat comfortable upon the stringy carpet in front of the empty fireplace while ignoring sounds from around the entire house. The scurrying of rats in the corners of the kitchen and the buzzing of flies from the distant toilet, the occasional pleasured scream from over his head and the savage screeches from the old, rotting floor, stairs and front door, which jabbered dangerously in the rising winds emitting from beyond the mountain’s shadow in which the town lay.

The boy curled up on the floor, hugging his arms around his knees while fixing his eyes shut and forcing himself to forget. He had to forget – or he was going to break in both his heart and brain – one of these days, he was sure to snap, whether that be mentally or physically.

And with the thought of that – the poor young boy fell into a deep trance much deeper than sleep – his consciousness slipping from reality while everything fazed into darkness – a darkness vastly familiar.

**oOo**

Once again did Kuroko Tetsuya find himself in his house, still curled up on the living room floor – everything distantly vague and strange. The boy was unsure what it was that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, but it made him sit up and glance around cautiously as he tried to register the changes in the atmosphere.

With a slap in the face, he realised. It was silent – dead silent – unnaturally silent. No wind wracked the windows or the dishevelled door. There was no squeaking of floorboards and no humming from critters that loitered the house. What on earth was going on?

Suspiciously, the boy scrambled to his feet, feeling his way around in the dimness of the room. While glancing out the window, Tetsuya noted another peculiar issue – the sky was red and not just the ordinary red of a sunset either – it was a deep blood red, poisonous but enchanting to gaze upon nonetheless.

Tearing his eyes away from it all, the boy scurried, shuffling across the floor and wincing occasionally, his feet much too sore for the impact of the cold floor and onwards, towards the door that no longer made a sound. He dared to open it – but only after taking multiple steadying breaths to calm his heart – barely noticing the tingling in his heart and the movements of the roots over his heart.

With a jolt and a tug, the door opened silently, not a single crack emitting from it.

Immediately, Tetsuya was overwhelmed and he staggered back into the house.

In front of him grew the massive black forest, towering over him while glaring down at him hungrily, beckoning for him to dissolve in the depths of the darkness within.

The trees were morbid and dead as ever and simply swayed in the inner gale, twisting around the thick trunks and sturdy branches, trying to grab the poor boy like long arms, extending out to reach at him. Horror-struck, Tetsuya watched them, his knees quivering and his eyes widening…

And then, so very unexpectedly, Kuroko Tetsuya was on his knees, pulling at his hair while his eyes fixed themselves shut as he screamed – the pain inside of him lashing out and numbing all his other senses. His stomach felt like it was being torn open with a wooden stake and he screeched so loudly he could have deafened himself. The hollow forest drank up his terrible and skin curling cries, throwing them back at him ten times louder and only overwhelming him in more torture.

Poor Tetsuya screamed, he thrashed, proceeding to claw at his eyes, his dirty nails digging into his flesh until he started bleeding, begging for it to stop – begging for the pain in his heart, in his head, in his very existence, his very soul to end, even if that meant death.

“STOP IT!” He shrieked into the non-existent wind.

And as if on cue, the pain stopped – as quick and sudden as it had come, leaving the poor forsaken soul upon the floor, quivering, twitching and staring up into space helplessly, like the small child he was when he first encountered despair. His pale skin was lined with a light sheen of sweat and he shivered violently – awestruck by the new development.

Because once again did he stand before him: wrapped in darkness with skin paler than snow but eyes deeper and redder than fire, than the blood on Tetsuya’s hands… More terrifying than the forest behind him, and more beautiful than any other creature the boy had ever cast eyes upon.

Seijuurou.

 

Never had Tetsuya so vividly taken in the demon’s endearing face, so very gentle and affectionate towards him – so very surreal but so very real at the same time. Delicate hands placed themselves on both his cheeks while his eyes drank up Tetsuya’s frightened ones.

 “My poor, poor boy – oh how I’ve missed your face. I may be your evil, but you have haunted my existence. Tetsuya.” Once again, the demon spoke to him in that awful, sickly sweet but satisfying mellow tenor, drowning Tetsuya in a mixture of dread and respect.

“Seijuurou.” The boy replied before capable of stopping himself, tears final slipping down his cheek and effectively reflecting in the demon’s eyes, who narrowed sympathetically while the being kneeled with him, one hand lovingly sliding back to the boy’s head, the fingers tangling in his hair while the boy, still shaking, was pulled into the demon’s embrace. Seijuurou cradled Tetsuya in a gentle embrace, his soothing tongue uttering quiet reassurances to the boy, convincing him all was to change.

“But, I’m hurting so much…” The boy uttered through a tearstained to which the demon pulled back and gently captured the human’s facial expression.

“I know Tetsuya, I know… It does deem cruel of me to make you suffer this way – and perhaps it is just my selfish nature… But this is not your full potential, you are in control of changing yourself – your suffering can become your strength… Tetsuya, you are a shadow now. And perhaps, you were born to be a shadow and I too am merely a puppet of fate.” The demon uttered very quietly, staring into the boy’s eyes reassuringly.

“But I want you to know this now Tetsuya. If ever, your life seems close to collapsing, know that you can come and find me – my interest has been tweaked by you, and I want you to understand and comprehend, that although my nature might not be of good, I do wish to show you truth.” The demon gazed at Tetsuya curiously. The cerulean eyes of the other steadied after a long moment and at the very same time, the demon straightened and backed away, already phasing back out of reality.

“Seijuurou…” Said the boy hurriedly, running a hand over his heart, which was already throbbing painfully once again.

“Why did you curse me?” But the demon shook his head, as if disappointed by Tetsuya’s question and the boy winced pained by the other’s reaction.

“Come find me if you need it… You know where I roam, Tetsuya.” 


	3. A restless pursuit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tetsuya makes up his mind to confront his past and the malice along with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not having been on AO3 for so long. I've have major writer's block due to the death of my father back in March. I'm hoping to get back into writing again though.

Once again, like the day before, and the day before that, did Tetsuya wake with a throbbing heart – but unlike the previous occasions, the throbbing was different. Seijuurou’s face, so delicate and well-constructed, so beautiful, was still pictured within the young boy’s mind and his fingers yearned to touch that face, to feel the silky skin of the demon – had Seijuurou indeed cursed him, or simply made the poor boy a pawn of his amusement. Whichever deemed truer was not of Kuroko Tetsuya’s concern, his whole body urged him to get up, to go and find Seijuurou, to plead for Seijuurou, to get on his knees and beg with his life, although what for, the poor boy had no idea.

Was it Seijuurou’s schemes – or was it truly Tetsuya’s desire…

Scurrying, losing his balance on multiple occasions and twisting his body uncomfortably, Tetsuya moved about, confused by his surroundings, upset and feeling lost. Where was the door? Where was the exit? Would Seijuurou wait for him? What was driving his mind completely insane?

He found the outside world after searching desperately and he shivered. The sunny weather from the day before was nowhere to be seen and instead, dismal clouds loomed over the town and the mountains, threatening to throw down the worst of the worst down upon them, were anyone to provoke the gods.

Tetsuya’s phantom presence was overlooked once more and without difficulty, the boy slipped and slid through dark alleyways, past shops and through the market that, despite the threatening storm, continued nonetheless. Feeling compelled to bring something, Tetsuya snuck what he believed to be fresh bread under his shirt before hurrying along in his own quiet manner, simply running out of town.

Maybe it was his last time ever setting foot in there, he did not know. All the poor boy knew a certain, was that he no longer trusted anyone – not his parents and not what he had believed to be his best friends. No… Tetsuya was alone. A lost soul, an overlooked boy and a forgotten shadow. The boy felt compelled to change that.

The dirt path stung underneath the boy’s sore feet as he hurried along, keeping his head bowed low as if in shame when in fact, he felt nervous as his legs carried him closer and closer to that haunted forest - Seijuurou’s domain, his territory, a place where he could do with Tetsuya as he pleased… A place where Tetsuya really _was_ just a toy.

It was that irrational fear, the fear of not being able to be himself and that, despite having nothing to lose, finding himself trembling with fright to his very bone, was what eventually drove poor Tetsuya to stop, right in front of the gaping hollow, dark, ominous and altogether terrible. He wasn't ready… It was too soon. If he were to go in, he would never be able to go back, not like he had when he was a child. In a meticulous fashion, the boy weighed his options – and he concluded that his fear of the unknown was greater than the desire to be with that demon. That the idea of not being himself scared him more than what Seijuurou might do to him. He’d spent fifteen years of his life wishing he’d be noticed more – but he was afraid of the one creature that did acknowledge him.

And because of that foolish dreading fear, Kuroko Tetsuya halted at the very edge of the forest and in a quivering fashion, he pulled out the stolen bread he had earlier hidden under his shirt, looking at it hungrily. He wished to eat it but the poor boy knew he would be gravely insulting any divinity if he ate an offering right in front the shrine or place of worship. Therefore, instead of devouring it which he would have loved to do so much, he kneeled with it, in front of the forest, not knowing how he was supposed to leave the bread there, it was a meek offering, Tetsuya was aware of that, but he had to do something. The boy momentarily paused to question if Seijuurou was watching, amused to see a measly human on their knees before him. The boy shuddered at the thought, but he had to remember that despite being beautiful of stance, Seijuurou had to carry some sort of twisted personality to make him obsessively evil after all. A demon was a demon. A monster was a monster. And, coherent from what Seijuurou had done to him, Tetsuya had to stop denying that Seijuurou was evil…

“I leave before you, mighty emperor, a meek offering, in the hope that you will forgive me for not entering today, and with that, I do so desperately hope that you can spare me one night from suffering and let me sleep in peace.” Tetsuya spoke those words quietly, his head bowed down while he placed the bread carefully in the middle of the entrance to the forest. The chilly wind rising made him get to his feet however and quickly escape the premises of the forest, afraid of what could happen to him once again.

No. Today was not the day he would give in… But perhaps tomorrow, when everything had sunken in a little bit more, Tetsuya would consider going back.

And back did he come…

oOo

The very next day in fact, the boy found himself, unknowingly in front of the forest, in the exact same spot. Yet his eyes did not try to gaze into the depths of the terrifying woods before him but instead focused on the dirt directly at his feet. The bread had vanished, whether taken by the demon or devoured by some sort of animal, Tetsuya cared not. However, at his feet lay a small cup, filled halfway with a shimmering transparent substance. Even in the apparent shade, it danced the way crystal did when the sun passed through it. Tetsuya believed it to be an answer to his offering and he knelt before the cup. The cup was delicately crafted with sleek lines of gold among the thin white porcelain.

Very carefully, Tetsuya raised the substance to his lips, trembling ever so slightly as if something were telling him to stop immediately. He paused just before the liquid trailed past his mouth as he stared into the forest. A wind had picked up from within its core and it blew lightly across Tetsuya’s face. Something about it made him uncomfortable. He lowered the cup and sighed. Perhaps the substance wasn’t meant for him at all. He had no desire to anger the demon. Instead, he thought it an opportunity and perhaps an excuse to enter. If he focused on getting that cup of liquid to the demon, he didn’t have to remind himself that he was there for his own purpose – a purpose he much less desired to address to the malevolent being of the forest.

Tetsuya entered. He and the forest drew a collective breath and held it. After a couple of steps in, the boy whirled around at a loud creak and he was horrified to see that the lightness of the previous clearing to the entrance of the forest had gone. He was alone in the darkness once again. Despite the shivers it sent down the already petrified boy’s back, the place felt so strangely nostalgic and almost comforting.

The always throbbing scar over his heart, those twisting roots spreading across his chest and stomach, they seemed to glow with delight the way a child felt when reunited with their mother. Their loving mother.

Tetsuya’s mind, racing up until that point, halted and thought about that. That was quite accurate. The forest was that wound’s home. The core of it was that wounds mother. A grimace flickered across the face of the boy. He remembered his own mother in that instant and wished so desperately for his body to feel that same emotion upon seeing her.

But no. Things had never been that way for as long as he could remember. On those few occasions she had looked up into his direction and made eye-contact with him, cerulean eyes meeting cerulean, there had been no love in them. In hers on in his. She never saw him as her son. Did she even know she had a son at that point?

Tetsuya was astonished to find tears running down his cheeks. Hot and wet. He didn’t like the feeling. His heart throbbed for a different reason for the first time. Hating the sensation, he forced himself to think of something else, but when that attempt failed miserably, he instead decided not to think at all and to focus on finding the demon so he could lift the curse on his being.

He proceeded. The looming figures of the trees haunted over the young boy. There was nothing remaining in his heart that comforted him from the implanted fear within the veins of his cursed body. Tetsuya walked, stopped, questioned and continued, feeling more and more desolate as he went on. It were as if his very blood were running cold. The dark green canopy of the trees above him grew meeker and meeker of colour until the very air seemed grey and but a distant memory.

It was then that Tetsuya knew he was approaching. As the mist glided across the forest floor, silence having swallowed all creatures that may roam the forest. Tetsuya had wandered so far. Further than surely any mortal before him had wandered. But he still had so far to go. Into that mist which seemed to be stretching out its smoky arm, uncurling thin and long claw-like fingers from a large hand, reaching out for him, beckoning for him to come. As if in a trance, Tetsuya let the hand guide him, imagining the hand being strangely warm.

His cold feet didn’t want to carry him anymore but his body made them move despite the reluctance. The boy staggered after the gliding hand into the swirling silence of the darkness. Pace quickening, Tetsuya regained some notion of himself and he made himself breathe regularly while still chasing that mist – for surely, that mist would take him right to that demon. Right to _Seijuurou…_

As if being pulled through some sort of very tight whirlpool, Tetsuya felt cold wind rushing past his face but he forced his eyes to remain open so he could see in the eye of the storm of shadows. Gritting his teeth and restraining tears from leaving his sockets, he reached ahead, diving forwards.

_CRACK!_

Tetsuya shrieked with pain as everything vanished and he keeled over backwards. His vision blurred as tears finally escaped him. He forced it to stare ahead however. Tetsuya wanted to move but he couldn’t. He couldn’t even turn his head. The darkness above him was fading, framed by a strange cloud of white. What was going on?

What was that crack? Why did he lie so immobile in the forest of poison, why did he look so pitiful?

The tears came and never seemed to cease. He hated everything. He hated Seijuurou, he hated his life, he hated being cursed, he hated Daiki and Satsuki getting married, he hated his parents, he hated himself. Yes, he hated his pitiful existence the most. What was he even doing anymore. Perhaps that white frame around his vision was death. Tetsuya smiled at the thought. Death sounded so delightful. No longer would he have to feel stinging in his feet, or have to be reminded that his being was non-existent. Perhaps it was death who had lifted him up in comfortingly warm arms. Perhaps it was death that was bowed over him so lovingly, a grin across his face. Perhaps it was death that had such beautiful red eyes…

All delight immediately fell from Tetsuya’s complexion as he realised. Death wasn’t carrying him, but the devil was. He wanted to scream. Tetsuya wanted to scream his voice hoarse, but he couldn’t. Instead, he lay there, in the demons arms, limp, useless. And that loving stare from the other was not one of affection but hunger. Those bared teeth did not form a smile but a sadistic grin.

“Oh my sweet Tetsuya, what was the need to break your neck over me. What a greeting you have prepared for me.” The demon grinned wickedly and covered the boy’s motionless and hazy eyes before enveloping the two of them in his darkness. Whatever protest might have come to the motionless boy was utterly feeble. He simply stared at the creature in the sound of silence.

oOo

A soft, warm sensation finally woke the fragile boy from his uneasy slumber. He stared up at a dark ceiling close to his nose. For a mere second had he forgotten where he was, who he was and why his neck was sore. But the next instant, all his memories came flooding back and he stirred unwillingly, looking both left and right for a sign of the evil that had captured him.

 

“Seijuurou?” His raspy voice came out distantly and in a rather hoarse way. When no answer came, Tetsuya convinced himself that his adventures in the wood had been a nightmare, much like the one he had had not too many days ago. Almost wishing that his whole life had been but a mere hallucination, Tetsuya turned to lie slightly more comfortably when he realised he wasn’t in his usual moth-eaten, dishevelled room on his yellow mattress. He wasn’t even in his house. His house did not have such a sturdy mattress of straw covered in generously expensive furs of different kinds. Tetsuya sat up slowly and noticed a small fire burning under a clear patch of night sky.

Something about the simple scene moved the young boy, who had in his life never experienced the sensations he felt in that instant. Never. And yet he felt them now, looking at a humble fire, merrily cracking away under the stars. Before he could even stop himself, tears poured down his face once more.

It was too much. Life was too much for him. He was wasting away like an animal living on the streets or a flower in the middle of a trade road. There was no way he could ever appreciate the beauty of nature and yet here he lay, crying over a stupid fire.

It was only then that he saw the red eyes, flaming among the tongues of fire and instantaneously, Tetsuya stiffened, the roots over his heart tightening while he watched those eyes rise slowly and then grow larger as they approached him.

The light didn’t want to expose the complexion as if it too, was afraid of being cursed much the same way Tetsuya had been by the foul excuse for an entity. Curling up among the soft furs, Tetsuya could only watch the demon approach until he was close enough for the young boy to finally distinguish those stunningly perfect features.

“Tetsuya… My dear Tetsuya…” He purred.

Again, Tetsuya found himself unable to speak as those familiar crimson eyes pierced his soul. It quivered as the boy it belonged to watched the demon with open mouth. He was more terrifying, more malicious, yet more stunning and delicate than Tetsuya could bear to remember.

“My lovely Tetsuya, I feel so humbled to have you so close to me again. It is a delight to see your fragile gaze upon me.” His voice was so soft, so silky yet so dangerous, as if a shimmering corridor of marble were decorated from ceiling to floor in sharp daggers, ready to be used for the kill.

Not being able to protest, Tetsuya watched the demon move closer.nA satisfied smile split the demon’s face into a twisted expression. And before Tetsuya could even think of taking a step back, the being was upon him. His darkness overshadowed what little courage the boy he looked down upon had mustered.

He was going to die, wasn’t he?

Reflexively, Tetsuya closed his eyes, bracing himself for the torture that was sure to befall him. What he wasn’t prepared for however, were the two soft hands that placed on either said of his face. A stroking thumb across his cheek. A light, fresh breath. Tetsuya was confused. In his confusion he opened his eyes, finding those red orbs closer to his face than ever before.

Unable to stop it, Tetsuya was kissing the demon once again, like he had years and years ago. Only this time, the boy felt strange. Tingly and hot. His tongue felt tired after a while and with a shock he realised that the demon had him in an embrace of a tight and possessive nature. A soft whine escaped Tetsuya as a burning liquid ran down his throat, attacking his insides. It stung so much - he wanted to scream but the kiss that horrid creature was giving him didn’t let him produce much more than a meek moan.

First pain, but then bliss. All of Tetsuya’s worries and fears ebbed away instantly and before he knew it, he had started kissing the demon - no, Seijuurou - back with a passion he didn’t know he had. A low chuckle escaped the creatures lips as they parted.

“To think you had such fire within your heart my sweet Tetsuya…”

“Seijuurou… What did you feed me… You do realise I know that you just slipped some sort of drug down my throat.” Tetsuya knew not where his confidence was coming from but it stimulated him to stare at the demonic orbs of Seijuurou with a sound assurance.

“It’s only some natural stimulant I designed. It doesn’t do anything harmful. It simply clears your brain of unnecessary thoughts and worries and leaves you with motivations and inspiration. A rather ingenious concoction of mine if I might say so myself…” Seijuurou studied Tetsuya’s face curiously.

“I hadn’t however, calculated your sharp eye once your mind was clear. Perhaps I tainted you more than I intended… That is why you entered correct?” Tetsuya nodded swiftly to see whether the demon would continue. When he did not, the boy spoke.

“Yes… But I also want questions answered.” He said sternly, Seijuurou watched him smugly with those slit pupils and Tetsuya momentarily felt fear bubbling somewhere in the very bottom of his stomach but he pushed it away with a sigh.

“I understand you have questions… What are you going to give me in return?” Tetsuya had been ready for this.

“Haven’t these tortured years been enough to pay for a few answers I want now Seijuurou? I assure you that I’m confident that what I have felt these years is more than you can imagine.” The demon’s expression darkened and a sick grimace split his face.

“Is that so?”

“From what I see yes. Here I sit after having woken up in a vile household, living off scraps of food and having close to nil friends because my presence is unnoticeable and for what, for accidentally walking into the wrong place at the wrong time when I was a kid. You know what, I’m not just hurt, I’m actually angry. And I’m not even angry with myself, I’m angry with you. It’s because of you that I have this ugly scar on my chest and these voices in my head that drive me to insanity, make me mistrust the only people who love me and make me want to end my life!” All of it escaped Tetsuya so quickly and so fiercely that a man could only be astounded by the temper of the small boy. Yet Seijuurou did not move; his expression did not make sense. This, properly frightened Tetsuya and he gulped hesitantly.

Next second, Seijuurou’s hands were back on his face, leaning in.

“If I was truly responsible for everything you’ve done, then I would have come to you long before now Tetsuya. I can return what you think I stole of you, but that won’t mean things will go back to before.” Seijuurou murmured carefully.

“Were I capable of lifting your curse, you would be born a new. Your parents would still not know you, Aomine Daiki and Momoi Satsuki will only remember you as a vague shadow. No one will know you… But I suppose that you could at least start a new.” Tetsuya blinked. He hadn’t heard Seijuurou properly. What the demon had said first bothered him tremendously.

“Seijuurou, what do you mean if you were capable.” At the very repetition of those words, Seijuurou was gone, his expression having harderened significantly. It was only then that tetsuya realised how hot Seijuurou had been, his skin had comforted Tetsuya. Now, having pulled back, Tetsuya realised how much he enjoyed the closeness of the other.

“I cannot lift your curse Tetsuya. I took something precious away from you, but I am not the keeper of it. What does keep it lies deep within these woods - the woods I am bound to. It is not something I can retrieve for you. If you wish to be yourself once again, you would do much better to give up now and live among these shadows like the others who made the same mistake.”

“But Seijuurou. Surely…”

“Enough!” For the first time, there was a savage resent in the demon’s tone and Tetsuya immediately fell silent. Whatever the laxative tonic had done for him, would not prevent the fear in his heart at the horrific sight of the red demon before him. Eyes flaming with rage, Seijuurou cast his disgusted eyes upon Tetsuya.

“Whatever you do now is not within my control. I cannot give you back what you came for, I can only give you the company that no one else will give you. It is up to you whether you will accept that.” Tetsuya couldn’t speak. Only when Seijuurou turned his eyes the other way did he manage to even sift through his thoughts. But he’d made up his mind quickly. He wanted nothing to do with the malevolent creature before him.

“I don’t want your company sei… no- you’re not even worth your name. I don’t need a demon like you to keep me company with your malice.” The words left his lips a lot more harshly than he had intended them. Either way, Tetsuya had made up his mind. If the demon wasn’t going to give back what had been taken from him, he would fight to get it back himself.

A cold, merciless laugh erupted from Seijuurou’s form and it made Tetsuya’s hair stand on end. He turned and eyes tetsuya, this time with wide hungry eyes.

“You won’t mind then, the next time I see you, whether I eat your heart will you. After all, I am simply a demon with only malice for a friend. And eating you would end your suffering as well - isn’t that right Tetsuya? I won’t be kind the next time we cross paths. Until then, I shall leave you.” Next instant, the demon and his wickedness had both vanished in the rising of the flames. The fire rose, spitting wildly before dying completely.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this isn't up to the promised length or the style is slightly different. It's been a while since I sat down to write haha. Hope you enjoyed.


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